Colorado Appellations Colorado may be best known for an array of craft breweries, but the state also produces more and more wine each year. Wine is likely not the first thing you think of when you hear Colorado, but winemakers in this state are hoping to change that. Colorado wine definitely contains quality ingredients, coming from the areas best designated regions. According to Colorado Wine, more than 125 wineries crush grapes from more than 1,000 acres of grapes and the state’s wine industry is growing. There are specific regions called appellations where Colorado wineries obtain their grapes. Colorado appellations are amongst some of the highest in the world! WHAT IS AN APPELLATION? The term appellation refers to the place where the grapes grow. Many […]

Kingman Winery is an urban Denver winery opened by Doug and Karen Kingman in 2012. They originally started in the Grand Valley area of Colorado when they purchased land, with the idea to grow their own grapes. Though their own grapes had not started growing yet, they purchased grapes from other growers and started making their wine. Eventually, they decided owning land wasn’t the way they wanted to go. Between commuting still from Denver and finding that owning land and growing grapes was too much, Doug and Karen decided to sell their land and open Kingman in Denver. Doug had wanted a job that he could still do once he retired and opening a winery allowed him to do […]

Since opening their doors in 1998, Balistreri Vineyards has truly been a family affair. There are currently three generations involved in the process – from making the wine to giving tours of the barrel room. John Balistreri and his wife are the owners, with John being the winemaker as well. Julie, whom we spoke to, says her official title is the “winemaker’s daughter,” meaning she wears a lot of different hats. And there are the grandkids who also work and help out. The family feel also goes into how they treat their customers. As Julie tells us, “when folks come here, we like to treat them like family.” They want their customers to feel at home when they come in […]

With so many places to eat in Denver, it’s sometimes impossible to narrow down the choices. But if you’re simply in the mood for a glass of wine (or bottle because it’s just been that kind of day) and a small plate, then we’ve got you covered. While this list isn’t comprehensive of all of the Denver wine bars, it’s a diverse selection that may be just what you are looking for. Postino Located in LoHi, Postino is an Italian “WineCafe.” They have an extensive wine list that tends to change seasonally as well as beer and cider. As far as food options go, they have an extensive list of bruschetta, all of which are delicious. You can also […]

The Winemaking Though Bigsby’s Folly is a Colorado winery, there will be some love for California as well. Rather than producing wine in just Colorado, they will also make wine in Napa and Sonoma, California. Because of the location of their productions, they will have two winemakers – Chris Nelson and Brian Graham. Locally, Chris will make the Colorado wines, while Brian will be out in California. “Because wineries no longer need to be tethered to where the grapes are growing, […] by having an urban winery, we can really source the best fruit that we can,” explains Marla. Because Chad and Marla wanted to “keep a close tie to Napa and Sonoma,” having two winemakers allows them to […]

The Experience When you first walk into the new Colorado winery, Bigsby’s Folly, you’ll notice pictures on the wall of the building from many, many years ago. It’s touches like these that you’ll find throughout as Chad and Marla Yetka look to make Bigsby’s Folly a place you will enjoy and a place you will want to come back to. They found the perfect building as their location because it had the history they were looking for. It lived through the prohibition and that is the inspiration they had for their winery. “The idea for the winery and the experience we want people to have when they came to the winery really was centered around prohibition and the […]

Introduction Bigsby’s Folly is Denver’s newest winery. With the Roaring ‘20s and prohibition as their inspiration, they are looking to hit the ground running when they open in June. Husband and wife, Chad and Marla, were looking for a change of pace when they started their second careers. They had always wanted to open a winery in Napa, but with Napa having Napa prices, they decided Denver was the perfect fit. With the help of their winemakers, Brian Graham and Chris Nelson, wine will be made both in Colorado and Napa. Brian will stay in California and produce their wines there, while Chris will be in charge of the Colorado winemaking. If wine is not your thing (we’ll […]

Open a decade in the small Denver neighborhood of Sunnyside, Bonacquisti Wine Company have cemented themselves as a great part of the Colorado wine scene. Paul Bonacquisti, founder and winemaker, comes from a long-line of winemakers. “I grew up making wine as a family hobby. So I learned from my dad, who passed it on from my grandfather, who came from Italy,” he says. He had a job in radio, but when they switched formats and no longer needed him, he got his Certified Sommelier certification and went back to his winemaking roots. The idea to open an urban winery was a bit of a no brainer. He lived in the area and didn’t want to move, farming isn’t […]

With their unforgettable name and canned wine, TheInfinite Monkey Theorem has made a name for themselves not just in Denver, but throughout the states. Along with an additional location in Austin, they pride themselves on making their wine accessible to everyone and making wine drinking comfortable and enjoyable. Ben Parsons, CEO and Winemaker, opened The Infinite Monkey Theorem in 2008 originally in the Santa Fe Arts District. “Ben had always had a passion in the wine industry,” Nicki McTague, VP of Corporate Operations, said, and unfortunately, it was the loss of Ben’s father that really pushed him to open the winery. Ben, originally from England, did a lot of his schooling in Australia and New Zealand, and then he […]

Since they opened ten years ago, Wild Women Wine has been a staple in the Denver urban winery scene. Owners Charlene and Ross (the winemaker of it all) are getting ready to celebrate the ten year anniversary of being open; in that time they’ve seen the Colorado Wine scene grow and boutique wineries make their mark. When they started out as a Denver urban winery, as Charlene said, “we knew that we wanted to be someplace that a) had high foot traffic, and b) people were going to be surprised to see the word winery,” but when they rebranded as Wild Women Wine about five years ago, they would never have guessed at just how appealing the name would […]